Hook conveyer



Patented Mar. 31, 1953 Hoon coNvEYEa Rudolph B. Vogt, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The E. W. Buschman Company, Cincinnati,A Ohio, a corporation of Ohio ApplicationApril 20, 1949, Serial No. 88,668

This.. invention relates. generally to improvementsi-n.overhead conveyor systems ofthe type constituting a flexible cable circuit having a series of work conveying trams anchored to the cable at iixed spacing, tracked upon a continuous guiderail or. tramway. More particularly, the invention pertains to improvements in the trams or conveying units, combined with a cable. having driving lugs xedpermanently upon the cable,

Awhereby the conveyingunits are anchored posiof the `trolley type, thetrolley unit is generally similar to andY interchangeable with the trolley structure disclosed. in the co-pending application of Rudolph B. Vogt, Serial No. 643,652, and now Patent No. 2,556,487. A .simpliied structure following the same basic principles resides in a system which utilizes skids anchored to the cable vinstead of trolleys, the skids being slidably enclosed in a tubular housing or tramway.

In general,v the trolley system constitutes a continuous rail, a series of trolleys having rollers tracked upon the rail and a stranded wire cable to which the trolleys are anchored and propelled lalong therail. The cable is driven by engagement'of the trolleys with sheaves or gears having notches orteeth,rwith the cable passing around the sheave at the turns so that each trolley is `engaged and driveny by the sheave in passing around it. In view of the fact that such systems s' frequently areA quite extensive, considerable driving strain is improved on the individual trolley uni-t's, tending to displace them with respect to the cable; slippage of the trolleys is critical sincel it' destroys the registry` of them with the notches of the driving sheave.

The primary" objects have been to provide positivelocking of the work conveying members to the cable to preserve their original spacing for theflife-of the conveyor system as distinguished fromv irictional engagement of the members, and to' improve the means by which the ends of" the cable-:arespliced' or'ccupled by 'providing a pos-itiveeanciiorage'for the-ends of the cable-within 9 Claims. (Cl. 198-177).

the .conveying membersv insteadoi' frictionally clamping the cable ends'as practiced in the past.

In its preferred` construction, the lcabl-e is fabricated in sections, for example, one hundred feet in length, with cylindrical lugs integrated with the cable at predetermined spacing. These lugs may be appliedin any well known manner, for example by forming cylindrical aluminum extrusions having a central hole so that they may be slipped upon the cable, then compressed by means of dies to squeeze or swag'e the metal into the strands of the wire cable. It has been found that for all practical purposes the lugs under. this treatment become an integral part of the cable, capable of withstanding a force equal to the tensile strength ofthe cable without shifting'. One method of applying the lugs to the cable is disclosed in the patent to Alan C. Brickman, No. 2,464,432, in which is disclosed a compressible tting for securingVr two cables or rods together.

In its preferred form, the present improveinent resides in a trolley unit constituting mating half sections, each having a semi-circular cavity to nest over the cylindrical lug when the sections are placed together, with the end. walls of the cavity in positive locking engagement with the ends of the lugs. The two sections are secured together by one or more bolts and there is provided clearance between the cavity and lug so that the lugs and cable sections are free to rotate relative to the trolley and each other. This relieves torsional strains to prolong the useful life of the cable, permits the trolley to float laterally relative to the cable and improves performance generally. This construction also permits either or both of the half sections to be rey moved from the cable for convenient replacement -in case of wear or breakageV without disturbing the established fixed centers of the driving lugs.

The simplied conveyor system utilizes a skid constituting essentially a cylindrical sheet metal shell having endwise flanges to engage the ends of the lug and a depending hanger to carry the work. As initially stamped, the shell is open so that it can be slipped over the lug and the open edges include limbs which are drawn together and secured by rivets or screws to form the hang- In drawing the limbs together, the cylindrical housing is contracted aroundv they lug with a circumferential clearance, with the franges overhanging the ends of the lug toV lock the'shell positively `to the lug. The' cable assembly passes through `a tubular'tramway arranged'ito slidably support the lugs and havinga'slot through which the depending 1imbspro-ject forv attachment to work supporting brackets or the like. This provides a concealed system of particular advantage for light service where roller type trolleys are not required.

Further advantages and objects of the invention are disclosed in the following specication with reference to the drawings so that those skilled in the art will comprehend readily the various other modifications of which the invention is capable.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating a portion of a conveyor rail, trolley unit and cable having driving lugs xed upon the cable for anchoring the trolley to the cable.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional View taken on 2 2, Figure 1, further illustrating the structural details of the assembly,

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 3 3, Figure 1, further detailing the improved means for locking the trolley to the cable.

Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3, illustrating the manner of coupling or splicing the ends of the cable within a trolley unit.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevation partially in section, illustrating a simplified conveyor tram, constituting a skid slidably contained within a tubular tramway, utilizing the driving lugs for anchoring the skid to the cable.

Figure 6 is an end view of the assembly as projected from Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view taken on line 1 1, Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 8 8, Figure 5, further illustrating the details of the modified structure.

Figure 9 is a sectional view similar to Figure 8, illustrating the skid utilized as a connector to splice the ends of the cable.

Figure 10 is a top plan view illustrating somewhat diagrammatically the modified structure at one of the turns in the conveyor system, with cable and trams passing around an idler sheave.

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the skid, tubular tramway and sheave, taken on line III-I 0, further detailing the structure disclosed in Figure 10.

Referring to Figure 1, illustrating the improvements as applied to a trolley type, cable driven establish a driving engagement with the trolley units as they pass around the periphery of the sheave. It is necessary that the trolley units be anchored firmly, since the driving force for the entire conveyor system is transmitted from the .sheave to the cable through the trolleys individually.

The trolleys I6 are anchored at xed intervals,

. for example, at one foot spacing upon the cable by means of driving lugs I8. In the preferred form, these are cylindrical in form, although other shapes, such as spherical, can be used. The cylindrical lugs are attached preferably by .shrinking them on the cable and for this purpose .they are formed from tubular eXtrusions such as .aluminum or other relatively soft metal, squeezed iii-'compressed upon cable I1. The lugs may be affixed by any known method, for examplaby slipping the lug tubes on the cable and compressing them between dies or jaws having mating cavities to swage them to the cable. This reduces the outside diameter of the lug and presses the metal into the strands of the cable under extremely high pressure, permanently uniting the lug to the cable so that it is capable of withstanding forces substantially equal to the tensile strength of the cable without slippage.

Described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 4, each trolley I6 consists of a pair of onepiece duplicate half sections I9 I9 formed as forgings or castings having mating blocks 2IJ 20. Each block 2D includes a semi-circular cavity or recess and when the blocks are placed in facial contact, each recess nests upon opposite sides of the cylindrical lug I8, forming a lug bore with clearance 2l between bore and lug. Each half section I9 includes a trolley arm 22 rising vertically from the block portion and the upper end of each limb flares outwardly and includes aV roller 23 tracked upon the flange 24 of the inverted T- shaped rail I5. The rollers 23 are mounted upon spindles 25 riveted permanently to the arms. The rollers are commercial products which include anti-friction ball bearings.

The lower end of each trolley half section includes a depending limb 26 arranged so that the limbs are spaced apart when the mating brackets are placed in assembly as shown in Figure 2. A bolt 21 is passed through the limbs with a spacer 28 placed upon the bolt to relieve the limbs of the clamping pressure of the bolt when the nut 29 is tightened. The bolt 21 provides a mount for a work supporting figure (not shown), such as a tray, rack, or hook as the particular installation may require. A second bolt 30 passes through the block portions 2(3 20 to clamp the mating sections together over the lug.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the cavities in the blocks 20 are slightly longer than the cylindrical lugs I8 to provide endwise clearance 3l between the lug and the ends of the cavity. The end walls 32 32 of the mating blocks further include semi-circular grooves 33 to provide a cable bore somewhat larger than the diameter of cable I1, having clearance 34 for the cable as indicated in Figure 3. Additionally, the ends of the grooves are chamfered as at 35 to eliminate the sharp corner at the end of the cable bore and thereby prevent the cable from being chafed as the cable passes around the sheaves in making turns. By reason of the clearance thus provided, the trolley floats slightly relative to the cable so as to be self-equalizing upon its rail, torque strains in the cable are relieved and the trolley unit is free from clamping stresses, being locked to the cable by direct endwise engagement with the lugs. Since the engagement of the trolleys with the cable does not depend upon clamping pressure of the bolts, it has been found that the single bolt 30 is suicient to unite the two half sections, with bolt 21 supplementing bolt 3l] and providing an anchorage for the hangers or work supporting xtures. In order to rigidify the trolley sections, they are provided with ribs 36-36 along their opposite edges, extending from the upper'ends of the arms 22 downwardly to the lower limbs 26.

As above noted, the trolley conveyors of the present type must be spaced accurately one from the other in order that they may engage the notches provided for them in the driving and idler sheaves. In the present construction, the

lugs I8 are located by machine uponthe cable at spacing held to uniformly close limits of tolerance. This simplies the installation of the lated by'- the' lugs:

' to" the cable.

system sincezit 'ist 'unnecessary' 'tof locate' the .troll leyf'units 'byr adjustment, since spacing" is regu- Byl virtue of` the' duplicate one-piece construction of the mating trolley half sections; |41-,V the-costei manufacture isY kept at minimum 'A and the I installation ofiy the conveyor system i's- 'simplified sinceitis' necessary merely tot' placethe lhalf sections i'nlpositionon opposite'l sides of the lugs and applyi'the bolts' 21 and 30.` Packing'and shippingcosts also are reduced because-the cable may' bel-shipped wound on reels and thetrolleysections packed separatelyY in boxes or barrels;

In practice, thev lug andcable assembly may loe-furnished in one Yhundred foot'sections, with the' lugs'spaced"l at one foot centers. These.` sec- 'tionsfare spliced together in themanner'illus-4 -iu'ated .Fig-urei. For this purposethezen'd lug of. each' cable'- section' vis cuty inhalf, theoverall`vlengtlizothetwo:halves being equal to the'vfull length off a'. lug so` that' the` clearance 31.`v (Fig-- 'ure' 4f) between the adjacent lug` endsfisvequal tothe"en'd clearance 3`l (Figure 35 of the regularv lugs; vide; an eflicient couplingfixture so that' the'rsplice `in-` the cable. may be located at one or several points in the conveyor system with the strength ofthe-'cable unimpairedbythe'splices. It'willbe The mating sections' I9l therefore pronoted also that lthe splice permits the adjoining ends of the ycable te rotate relative to eachother sothat there are no torsional strains developed y in the cable.

By Y'consti-'ucting the trolley' 'brackets' in duplicate and bolting the mating pieces together, several important advantages are provided. After prolongedv usage, it sometimes occurs that a rollerA will wear out' and require replacement. The repair` can be made most' conveniently' by loosening` the' bolts` 21" and Sil-'and replacing `the Worn'secti'on with a new one without disturbing thesetting'- of the trolley assembly with respect The mannerv in which the' ends of' the cables'are spliced also simplifies the original'installati'on of a closed circuit conveyor-since splices' are made' simplyv byv severing the' lugs' of adjoining'cables tomake up anyfrequiredlength. In the example above given', a required number of' hundred foot cable sections may be joined'together at several trolley units and'if the circuit cannot be' completed by a full length section, the

` gap may be closed by cutting" a length of cable for the'num'ber of' lugs'required and cutting the end lugs in half'to matev with the end lugs ofthe main cable sections. Also, in case of"cable breakage,the'first.lug at the endsadjacent the break ymay becutinhalf anda one foot, length ofgcable withhalyed lugs inserted to splice, the.,broken section. In .eachof the,A casesv above no.ted,the

originalspa'cing of the-.trolley-units is preserved so# that registrywithuthe-.teeth or. notches: of the sheaves is maintained.

'Iheconveyor structure; disclosed'in. Figures 5 to. llinclusive;y follows. generallyr the: principles described above. and' is designed to provide alight duty" conveyor system which maybe installed in establishmentsfA such as stores, oihces, orvlight manufacturing plants' for" conveying merchandise; mail and other light articles'.

One important feature of this system is that'all moving parts' are' enclosed in a slotted tube, the only eX- l posed part being ya hanger or lug` which depends j from' the tubel to sustain the articles. tube conveye'd.' As disclosed, the tube, lug. and'skidarecylindrical in cross section but the parts also can fbe-madezsquaref' orfrectngiar Vin' cross sec,-

tion if desired.

The..system constitutes4 al conduit or1tube 40 having a continuous slota4 I' in'itsrunderwside; A light weight'wire cable.- 42 passes.' through'the tube andincludesria series of compressed or swaged cylindrical lugs' 43;,.smaller' than the lugs i8, pressed upon theV cable'fin spaced relationship' in the. manner above described. In: place of the vtrell'ey'assembl'y` It, the work supporting tram consistsrof a skid made. from a. simple sheet metal ,stamping 44 providing a shroud or' housing i5 surroundingthelug 43 `and including audepending hanger 46, the' stamping 4.4 being" slidably enclosed vin the: tube 40, with theJ hanger'46 depending downwardly through theslot 4 l. The internalldiameter :of the.' housing is' slightly larger than the outside diameteriot lug 453 to'providecircumfereritiallclearancelli (Figuresirl' and, 8.)? and :the housing` further is, provided with: end Walls l 5.0-5.0 providing: ,shoulders for positive engagement bythel lug.' 'l'.he-endl Walls are' spaced to provide endwise'clearance 5l between the lug-pand walls;

In practice, themember. 44 is. partially formed by a stamp and die operation with the housing 45 expanded and the respective limbs 53--53 spread apart sufficiently so that the. member can beslipped. over the diameter of the lug. The limbs 53 then are pressed together to contract the housing 45 upon the lug and the limbs are secured permanently together by installing rivets or screws 54-54 (Figures. 5 and 6)..` The hanger portion thus` formed is provided with an aperture 55 which may be formed either by punching the limbs prior to assembly or by punching the aperture after the limbs are. riveted together.

As. shown in. Figures .6y and 7, the skid. units` are` slidably supported. inthe tube 4,0 atpoints 5,6- alongsider the. slot 4l. In order to minii mize friction, itis preferable to form.. the tube tube and causing damagev to the articles in transit.

from sheet steel and the` skid members 45 from a relatively soft material suchas brass or aluminum., By reason of service requirements, it would be impractical to apply' lubrication due tothe probability of' the` lubricant dripping from the The cables are' spliced together inthe same manner as practiced'in conjunction with the trolley assembly, by severing adjoining4 lugs and' coupling them together by engagement of the sheet metal housing 45`as1shown in Figure 9, with the lug sections conned against endwise movement bythe end wallsg 0 50.

The. turns in ,thisfconveyor system are 'madeby passingthecable around an idler'sheave'51 (Figure 10) which issecured' upon a rotatable shaft 58. Asdetailedi'n Figure 11, the sheave has'a V-shaped groove'in'which isseat'ed a .resilentvbelt S0' which. engages one sideof'the skid 45. The lower portion' of vthe skid supported in' slidingengagement as at 6l' against' the tube lll) and with. the limbsfor drawing them together to contract the housing. over the lug. To reduceresistance in compressing the housing, the end'wa'lls 7 50-50 may include one or several V-shaped notches which close as indicated at 64 (Figure 6) when the housing is contracted. Removal of the skid for replacement can be accomplished readily by a companion tool designed for expanding shipped in coils or wound on spools and the skids shipped separately in bulk, as noted with refer- -ence to the trolleys and cable. Having described my invention, Ilclaim:

1." A conveyor system comprisinga cable loop constituting individual sections of cable prefabril"cated to provide a series `of cylindrical driving lugspermanently joined thereto in spaced relationship with each other, a series of conveyor ltram's adapted to be placed transversely over the driving lugs, each of said trams having work supporting means and a cylindrical cavity adapted to receive one of the driving lugs in nested engagement therein, said cavity being sufficiently larger in diameter than the driving lugs to provide a rotatable connection and including end walls providing a positive driving engagement with the opposite ends of the lug, the opposite ends of the cable sections having cylindrical coupling lugs substantially one half the length of said driving "lugs, and duplicating the driving lugs when placed in end to end relationship said cavities being adapted to conne rotatably the coupling lugs of `adjacent cable sections to anchor the ends of the cable sections within a conveyor tram whereby the cable sections within the conveyor loop are independently rotatable with respect to one another in response to torsional strains.

2. A conveyor system comprising, a cable loop ,constituting individual sections of cable prefabricated to provide a series of cylindrical driving lugs permanently joined thereto in spaced relationship with each other, the cylindrical driving lugs having substantially right angular opposite ends a series of conveyor trams each having work supporting means and having a cylindrical cavity vadapted to receive one of the driving lugs in nested engagement therein, said cavity including substantially right angular end Walls providing a positive driving engagement with the opposite ends of the l'ug,'the opposite ends of the cable sec- .-tions having cylindrical coupling lugs substantially one-half the length of said driving lugs, said cavities being adapted to receive the coupling lugs v'of adjacent cable sections to anchor'the ends of the cable sections within a conveyor tram, the cavities being sufficiently larger than the driving and coupling lugs to provide longitudinal and circumferential clearance for the coupling lugs whereby the cable sections are free to rotate relative to each other to relieve torsional strains within the cable loop.

3. A conveyor system comprising, a cable loop rconstituting sections of cable prefabricated to provide a series of cylindrical driving lugs compressed permanently upon the cable in spaced relationship to one another, a conveyor trolley ,adapted to be anchored upon said cable by engagement with said lugs, said trolleys constituting mating half sections of duplicate form, each of 8 said half sections having a semi-cylindrical cavity in its mating face to receive a lug, and semicylindrical grooves 0f smaller diameter opening into the opposite ends ofthe cavity to receive the cable, said cylindrical lugs having right angular `opposite ends and the semi-cylindrical cavities having right angular opposite ends walls, the diameter and length of the cavity in assembly being greater than the diameter and length of the cylindrical lug to provide a rotatable, but positive driving engagement whereby the sections of cable are individually rotatable with respect to one another said sections adapted to be placed in facial engagement with each other upon opposite sides of the cableA to enclose the lug in nested engagement within said cavity, land means for-:securing said half sections together to lock-the trolley v in positive driving engagement v"yvitli the lug and in xed relationship with each other;

4.- A conveyor svStem;CQmpr-1Sing, a Prefabri- 4 cated cable having a series of driving lugs permanently united with the cable in spacedf relationship with one another, conveyor trams eachconstituting a sheet metal stamping having a housing adapted to establish a positive` driving` engagement with a lug, a work hanger formed as an integral part of the housing, and a tubular tramway arranged to--slidably support thecon- Veyor trams, the tramway `including aI slot to provide clearance for the hangers with the hangers depending lthrough said slot for conveying work pieces.

5. A conveyor system comprising, a prefabricated cable having a series of cylindrical driving lugs permanently united with the cable in spaced relationship with one another, conveyor trams each constituting asheet metal stamping having a cylindrical housing having end walls adapted toestablish a positive driving engagement with a lug with circumferential clearance around the lug, a work supporting hanger formed as an integral partl of the housing and a cylindrical tramway arranged to slidably support and enclose the conveyor trams, the tramway .including a slot to provide clearance for the hangers with the hangers depending through said slot for conveying work pieces. Y

6. A conveyor system comprising, a prefabricated cable having a series of driving lugs permanently united with the cable in spaced relationship with one another, conveyor trams each constituting a sheet metal stamping having a housing section provided with an opening adapting the housing section to be slipped over a lug, the housingsection including end iianges adapted to Aestablish a positive driving engagement with the `ends oi the lug, a pair of limbs joined to the housing section along the opposite edges of said opening,l ksaid limbs being adapted for engagement by a tool to contract the housing section `over the lug and to'control the contraction of the housing to provide clearance between the lug and the contracted housing, and means for securing the limbs together in facial Contact to provide work supporting hangers. 3

7. A conveyor system comprising, la prefabri- `cated cable having a series of driving lugs perma- Vto slidably support and enclose said trams, an

idler sheave for making a turn in the conveyor system, the sheave having a pairoi. flanges to receive the trams, the tramway having a curved portion extending partially around the sheave, the curved portion being open to the periphery of the sheave whereby the trams are slidably supported upon the edge of the tramway and lower flange of the -sheave in passing around the turn.

8. A conveyor system comprising, a prefabricated cable having a series of driving lugs permanently united with the cable in spaced relationship with one another, conveyor trams each constituting a sheet metal stamping having a housing adapted to establish a positive driving engagement with a luig, and including a work hanger, a tubular tramway adapted to slidably support and enclose said trams and including a slot to receive the work hanger with the hanger extending outwardly from the tramway, an idler sheave for making a turn in the conveyor system, the sheave having a pair of flanges with a resilient belt seated between the flanges to establish a yieldable contact with the trams, the tramway having a curved portion extending partially around the periphery of the sheave, the curved portion being severed longitudinally complementary to the periphery of the sheave with the severed portion open to the sheave, the trams being slidably supported upon the edge of the slot and lower flange of the sheave in passing around the turn.

9. A conveyor system comprising, a plurality of individual prefabricated stranded wire cable sections each having a series of cylindrical driving lugs permanently swaged thereon in spaced relationship with one another, the opposite ends of each of said cable sections having a-coupling lug substantially one-half the length of said driving lugs adapted to be placed in end to end relationship to provide in assembly a substantial 10 duplicate of the driving lugs, a series of duplicate conveyor trolleys, one for each of said driving lugs and for said paired coupling lugs, each of said trolleys constituting interchangeable mating half sections, each of said half sections including a complementary cavity of semi-cylindrical shape adapted to provide in assembly a cylindrical bore having opposite ends arranged to rotatably confine the driving and paired coupling lugs therein whereby the individual cable sections are rotatable with respect to one another, and a bolt passing through the mating half sections on an axis at right angles to the said cylindrical bore arranged to secure the half sections in clamped relationship over the coupling and driving lugs, the mating half sections being arranged to be applied upon the cable sections from opposite sides thereof and thereby to install and remove the trolleys without disturbing adjacent trolleys.

RUDOLPH B. VOGT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 548,504 Beach et al Oct. 22, 1895 1,059,124 Doxford Apr. 15, 1913 1,804,923 Fernekes et al. May 12, 1931 2,017,404 Lorig Oct. 15, 1935 2,095,022 Bishop Oct. 5, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 622,808 Great Britain May 6, 1949 

